The data: Social discovery is driving theatrical engagement by creating conversations that encourage trailer views and, as a result, push up theater attendance.

• 71% of US moviegoers ages 13 to 44 who are daily social media users are more likely to watch a film after seeing it advertised on social platforms, per a Snap survey conducted by Omnicom Media and Ipsos.
• Two-thirds (76%) of Gen Zers are influenced to watch trailers because of trends and discussions they see online or by personal recommendations from family and friends.
• Over half (57%) of moviegoers who find creators influential say creators help them discover new movies, and 47% say creators inspired them to go to the theater.

Zooming out: The movie theater industry is in a state of flux amid the rise of streaming services.

• Three-quarters of US adults have watched a recently released movie on streaming in the past year instead of seeing it in a theater, per an AP-NORC poll.
• Only 16% go to a movie theater monthly, while almost twice as many (31%) stream a new movie each month.

This data indicates that social media is punching above its weight in influence over the box office—the same audiences fueling conversations online are also buying theater tickets.

Why it’s worth watching: This trend presents opportunities to power moviegoing, pull young consumers into theaters, and identify engaged audiences that are primed for content discovery.

• For studios, the data suggests box office performance can depend on social and creator momentum, making sustained online buzz as important as opening day spend.
• For theater owners, the prevalence of daily social users among moviegoers shows how highly connected younger audiences are a core growth segment.
• For marketers, the fact that moviegoers are more likely to watch a film after seeing clips, reviews, or related content on social media confirms that discovery and conversion are collapsing into the same feed.

Recommendations for brands: Despite the changing fabric of movie theater engagement in recent years, theaters remain tentpoles of cultural impact and immersive experiences.

Brands looking to market within theaters should focus on strong social presences across intent-rich platforms like YouTube and Instagram, and working with creators or influencers to spread word of mouth.

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